Taylor Knox’s passion for boardsports almost ended his career before it started. At the age of 15, Knox suffered a devastating back injury while skateboarding. Doctors insisted he would never surf competitively, but after undergoing surgery for a damaged lumbar, Knox defied the harsh sentence by turning to a healthy diet, core fitness training and intense physical therapy.
Knox’s ambition to not only recover, but to come back better than ever, led him to one of the most storied careers on the ASP World Championship Tour. The Reef/Taylor Knox relationship dates back to 1998, where Knox infamously rode a 52-foot monster at Todos Santos, winning the Reef Big-Wave World Championships. The ride earned him global notoriety when it was awarded the $50,000 prize at the K2 Big-Wave World Championships.
Knox a.k.a “Captain America,” competed on the World Championship tour for over two decades, the latter half of which he took out surfers half his age. Known famously for his power and rail surfing he has showcased some of his best surfing at the iconic J-Bay also proved one of the highlights of Reef’s film release, “De Passage.” Taylor Knox is truly one of surfing’s living legends.
